Thornton Estate in Penrith will soon be home to a new hotel under the Quest banner with St Hilliers commencing construction of the development on Lord Sheffield Circuit.

Quest Apartment Hotels will operate Quest Penrith at Thornton which will feature 68 apartments in the seven-level building with a mix of studio, one, two and three bedroom configurations.

Penrith Mayor John Thain was on site last week for the sod-turning ceremony to mark commencement of works.

St Hilliers Property, senior project manager Michael Rae said, “Quest’s presence in Penrith is an important one as it provides a high standard of accommodation that will support the New West and the overall city development, as it continues to expand into a destination of choice for business and leisure,” he said.

Quest Apartment Hotels General Manager in Growth, James Shields, said that the group was attracted to the growth of Penrith and the region’s planned economic development.

Facilities at the hotel will include a conference room and gym as well as on-site parking.

“This is an exciting opportunity to further boost visitors to Penrith,” Penrith Mayor John Thain said.

“Penrith currently has 1.3 million visitors annually and we are working to double that figure by 2025.”

It is expected that Quest Penrith will be open in late 2018.

St Hilliers has recently seen the first residents move in to its joint-venture Thornton residential development. Construction of stages two and three is well underway.